How To Bring Home A Dragon
by Rodeogalforever
Summary: Ava Livingston thought she was just going to study arctic wildlife over her summer break. But when her plane crashes in the ocean on her way, she gets much more than she expected. Ava had never experienced anything like life on Berk. With the help of some new friends, and old ones, she sets out to bring the joy of dragons to her home.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The takeoff had been smooth and the plane was now gliding over the Atlantic, towards Iceland. The small craft could only carry a few passengers, and seated snugly in a corner was a nervous young woman. Her dirty blond colored hair that usually hung loose with the tips reaching the middle of her back, was tied up in a messy bun. She started at a magazine page thinking about the recent events that had lead up to this terrifying flight. Ava Livingston had been given the opportunity to go to an outpost in Iceland over the summer to observe the local wildlife. It was the chance of a lifetime. She loved working with animals but wasn't sure what kind of career she wanted. She hoped this would help narrow down her choices. Ava had always been fine with flying, but the fact the place was so cramped, and they were flying over open ocean, in turbulence, was what terrified her.

Glancing out the window she saw dark clouds surrounding them and white specks flying past. It had started to snow. Ava had lived in Florida all her life. Her bright highlights, and bronze tan were sure signs she was a girl who spent lots of time outside, soaking up the warm sunshine state rays. Ava was a bit disappointed to give up her summer of sun for snow and ice, but this was an opportunity she did not want to miss. She gasped as the plane jerked in the strong winds. The visibility out the window beside her became close to none. She began to shiver but not from the cold. Her soft sweater, thick coat, and several layers of leggings and pants kept her cozy, but the thoughts of the blizzard raging outside the window, and the freezing ocean below her, drifted in her mind. She couldn't think about anything else. She decided to try and get some sleep. The flight was going to be a long one and there was no use staying awake to worry. She pulled her hood up, leaned against the wall, resting her head on the fur lined hood, and drifted off the dreamland.

She awoke to a sharp pain in her head. Even the seatbelt, secured tightly around her waist couldn't keep her form bouncing. Ava rubbed her eyes trying to remember where she was, and figure out what was happening. The plane jerked one way, then the other, tossing Ava against her neighbor. She rubbed her now throbbing head. "_I must've hit it on the wall while I was asleep_." Ava thought to herself.

The plane tilted one way, and then straightened out again. Then it tipped and jerked to the side. The small craft was tossed around in the storm like a paper airplane near a fan. The sound of the motor changed, and the plane angled down. "_Oh we must finally be landing_." Ava thought with relief as she looked out the window. She was greeted by the sight of nothing but snow blowing in the wind. She could see no more than a foot or two out the window. The plane leveled out, then tipped at a horrible angle. It swayed and bounced trying to level out. Suddenly there was a terrible jerk as the plane collided with the waves. Ava tensed and braced herself against the wall as the plane skipped and hit the water again. They were slowing down tremendously each time they met a wave. The plane gave another jerk as the nose hit a wave head on, and then washed over the front of it.

The plane was no longer moving. But now it swayed with the waves and slowly sunk as it took on water. Ava could hear the waves beating against the hull, tearing the place apart. Chaos broke out as the other passengers realized they were sinking. Suddenly everyone was out of their seats. Yelling, screaming, trying to get off the plane. Ava looked under her seat, but this was no fancy airline. Ava couldn't remember where she had been told the life vests were. She pushed and shoved her way up to the cockpit. Ava knocked on the door, then entered. She found the pilot unconscious, with blood dripping from the wounds on his face. "He must've hit his head in the crash." Ava mumbled despite the fact he could not hear her.

Various buttons and switches covered the dashboard of the cockpit. Many dials had their needles flicking back and forth, and dozens of different colored lights blinked. Ava couldn't understand what any of it meant, and so the plane's controls were no help. Looking out the windshield, Ava could see the nose of the plane, now crumpled up from the wall of water it had hit. "We really hit that wave hard." Ava commented to herself. She began looking for a raft. She quickly found an inflatable raft in a small box. She left the cockpit and headed to the door. Suddenly the raft was snatched from her. She couldn't see who had grabbed it, because they had already disappeared in the crowded area. The door was opened, and she saw the other passengers begin to file out. As the plane quickly emptied, Ava was able to see what they were doing. The raft was floating in the water, holding the rest of the passengers and the last one jumped on. The raft was swept away before Ava could board. The rest of the passengers didn't seem to notice Ava standing in the doorway of the sinking aircraft. "They left me!" she exclaimed angrily.

Ava looked around. Besides her, and the unconscious pilot, there were two other passengers sitting in their seats, petrified with fear. A loud groan came from the metal as the left wing was ripped from the plane, taking a large portion of the hull with it. Now water flooded through the huge hole in the side of the plane. Before Ava could think of anything to do she heard the metal hull moaning again. Ava held onto the door to the cockpit as the plane was ripped in two, separating the tail from the nose. Now Ava and the pilot were separated from the two passengers. The two ends now small enough to be carried by the waves, were swept away from each other. She could no longer see the other end of the plane, so she couldn't tell if it had sunk or if it was still floating.

The part Ava was on continued to rock fiercely in the waves. And began to tilt, then roll, starting to turn upside down. Ava scrambled out the door before it went underwater and out on the wing. She began to climb the hull to stay out of the frigid water, holding on for dear life as she began to slip. The edge of the metal where it had torn cut into her hands. She couldn't hold on, but she didn't have to. The plane rolled over, plunging her under the freezing waves. The wing came under and pushed her farther down. But she quickly surfaced, her thick coat served as a makeshift floatation device as it's water-resistant layers kept the water from being saturated from under the coat. As her coat took in more water, Ava's thick clothing began to weigh her down. She struggled to stay at the surface. She spotted a piece of the hull that surprisingly floated, and began to swim towards it. Just as her coat began to drag her down, Ava reached the piece of floating hull and pulled herself up on it. Her wet clothes chilled her in the cold wind. She wrung out her hood and pulled it up over her head. She pulled her legs in close to her chest and hugged them. Though saturated with water, her coat still kept out the wind, so only the wet clothes under it made her cold. Ava sat there, shivering on her little life raft as the blizzard raged around her, and the plane disappeared from sight.

Ava grew fatigued and lay down on her stomach. She knew falling asleep in freezing temperatures such as these would be deadly, so she forced herself to stay awake. This wasn't as hard as Ava had expected, she had to focus on keeping her weight equally distributed so the raft wouldn't tip and she slide off, or a wave flip her over. Ava rested her eyes and held on. After several hours Ava realized it was still. The waves had calmed, the wind had ceased, and it was no longer snowing. Ava opened her eyes and sat up. She was now surrounded by thick fog. She couldn't see any more than twenty feet in any direction. Ava felt utterly alone and lost. She couldn't escape the feelings of despair that overwhelmed her. A tear made its way down her chilly cheek and landed on the metal hull with a tap. Others soon followed. Ava was no crybaby, but she couldn't hold it back any longer. She lay down again and began to sob.

Several hours had passed since Ava stopped crying. It had become lighter, and the waves were still calm, but they were much stronger. They seemed to carry her farther with each one. Ava was becoming irritated with the constant swaying and rocking. She wished for just a moment of stillness. She felt that she couldn't endure it much longer. But she had no choice. Ava lay on her raft, anger brewing at her helplessness. After a while she felt the raft jerk. She had hit something. Ava sat up and looked around. She had washed onto a beach. "Land!" She screamed, "Oh sweet still land!" Ava was wobbly, but it didn't stop her from wading to the beach and letting herself drop to the ground. That was a mistake. She was met with the unpleasant feeling of pain. The shore was covered in pebbles, which dug into her back as soon as she hit them. But she didn't care. The momentary pain couldn't dampen her delight at being on land. She had hope now.

After a short time of savoring the stillness, Ava got up and scanned her surroundings curiously. There were high cliffs lining the beach. They went on as far as she could tell in either direction. Ava began to follow the cliffs to find a low area where she might be able to climb up. There wasn't much to look at. Just rocks, ocean, cliffs and mist that hid the top of the cliffs from view.

Ava walked for hours, her hope dwindling, when she came to a dead end. The cliff came around and the beach ended. But the cliff was low, and Ava could see the top. The face was rocky, but it looked like she could climb it. The scrapes on her hands had already begun to heal, while she was drifting on the ocean. She grabbed the cliff, found a foothold, and began her ascent. About halfway up, she began to grow tired. Either the cliff was bigger than it looked, or Ava wasn't as good a climber as she thought. Either way it didn't matter, she had gone too far to turn back now. She pushed herself to keep climbing. She was almost at the top now. She reached for a rock that was embedded in the top of the cliff, right on the edge. She began to pull herself up, almost over the edge, when the rock came loose, and her hand slipped. The rock sliced her hand and tumbled down the side. Ava almost fell with it, but she reacted quickly, and held tight with her other hand. She dangled on the face of the cliff trying to regain her footing. When she finally found it, she stood there a minute to catch her breath. "Too close." Ava scolded herself. She reached for another handhold, this time a sturdy one. She hauled herself over the edge, and rolled away from the cliff. Ava lay still, sucking in ragged breaths. She had to calm herself before she looked at her hand. The cut wasn't too deep, but blood had already began running down her arm, and dripping off her hand. It stung from the various dirt and debris that had stuck to it as she made her way over the top of the cliff. Ava ripped off a small strip of fabric from one of her undershirts, and wrapped her injured hand tightly. She stood up, and took in her new surroundings.

Her shoulders slumped and she let out an exasperated sigh. Nothing but forest was over the edge of this cliff. The tall evergreen trees towered over her, while the saplings and underbrush concealed the rest of the woods. Ava let out another frustrated sigh as she trudged into the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After walking for several hours, the light began to fade, and the wind picked up. Snow began falling, covering the landscape within minutes. The small flakes of white stuck to Ava's eyelashes, and blowing in her eyes, making it difficult to see. The wind became so strong, Ava had trouble moving against it. After fighting the wind as long as she could, Ava gave up. She found a tree with large roots that stuck above the ground. Ava buried herself in the snow to keep warm, and quickly fell asleep for the first time in two days. When Ava awoke, several hours later, she popped out of the snow like a spring daisy. Brushing off the snow, Ava looked around. It was light now, and snow covered everything. Ava now realized how hungry she was. She couldn't remember the last time she ate. With another look around, Ava knew she wasn't going to find any food nearby. She picked up a handful of snow looking at it hesitantly. Then, taking a bite began to chew it. Ava cringed. It tasted like shaved ice without the syrup. It definitely wasn't good, but it was something. Ava ate another two handfuls before she couldn't take anymore. It chilled her from the inside out. Her hair now hung around her shoulders looking ragged. The elastic tie that held it up had broken, and was lost days ago. Ava stood up and began to walk around, hoping it would warm her up. After wandering around for a while Ava came to a small clearing. There wasn't much there besides a few rocks scattered around the snow covered ground. Ava began to turn and walk on, when movement caught her eye. She turned around to gaze at a pile of rocks, where she thought she saw movement. Seeing nothing, Ava began to walk off when she thought she spotted movement again. Ava turned to look at the bushes that caught her eye.

"Nothing again? This is bizarre." Ava mumbled to herself.

Before she could turn away, Ava saw something in the bushes moving. Ava gasped when she saw one of the bushes become blurry and move away from the rest.

"I'm going crazy..." Ava whispered

The bush changed shape, and turned a rusty brown color. Now it looked more like a large reptile, with a fanged grin.

"It's like a big chameleon." Ava observed.

It had stunning yellow eyes, that stared straight at her. Ava held her breath, as the reptile's leafy looking antennae flicked back and forth. Stepping forward into the sun, the creature's burgundy scales sparkled and gleamed. Ava tensed as it stepped closer. She knew animals could read emotions, so she tried her best to give off confidence. The creature came closer, and stretched out its neck to sniff her. It had two horns on either side of its head shaped like a dolphin's fins. It tilted its head curiously to either side. It walked around Ava, sniffing her, and examining her. It came back around in front of her, and sniffed her again. Then it grunted and walked off like Ava was just part of the landscape. It seemed to no longer care about her, disappearing into the trees. Ava took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She began walking into the forest, making sure she went away from where the reptile went.

Ava walked for a few hours before she sat down to rest. She ate a few handfuls of snow to partially quench her thirst. She then leaned back against the trunk of a tree and let the sunlight fall on her face. After several minutes she heard something walk up. It was standing of front of her. She slowly opened her eyes. In front of her stood another strange creature. One like she had never seen before. It was large, standing around ten feet tall. Its scales were light blue with some green. It had a crown of yellow horns coming from the back of its head. Its tail was covered in spikes and large claws tipped both feet. Ava could tell this creature was deadly. It squawked and flapped its two huge wings. It cocked its head to the side, looking at Ava. Ava knew it could see her. The creature cackled, and then charged at her. Ava couldn't hold in her scream, she leapt up and took off through the trees. Ava could hear the crack of the tree when the creature ran right into it. Suddenly it was right behind her. Squawking and flapping its wings in hot pursuit. Ava lengthened her stride a bit, testing to see if her leg muscles were warm enough to sprint. She didn't feel any strain, so she fully lengthened her stride and took off through the forest. Her pursuer hopped onto a fallen log, and with a leap came after her, faster than before. Ava was well aware of her tendency to be clumsy, and was extra careful. She looked at the ground in front of her as often as she searched for a path ahead of her. If she should trip on a root, or stumble over a stone, that one mistake could cost her life. She heard the bird-like reptile's beak snap behind her.

"Go away!" Ava shouted to the creature.

Ava vaulted over a downed tree, and began to climb a steep hill. Ava was running out of breath trying to scramble up the hill at the same speed she held on flat ground. As she reached the top, her toe got hooked in a tree root. Ava shrieked as she started falling forward. Right before she hit the ground, her toe unhooked from the root and she tumbled down the hill. Ava gained speed as she went down, so much that she rolled several feet beyond the hill, stopping abruptly as she collided with a boulder. Ava groaned as she got up.

"Everything hurts..." She mumbled

Ava felt a sudden sharp pain in her right shoulder, and left lower back. She turned to see the creature at the top of the hill. It cackled and flapped its wings. It hopped and landed at the base of the hill. Ava's arm started to tingle. The animal cocked its head, weaving back and forth. It flicked its spiked tail, ready to lunge. Ava backed up, right into the boulder. Then she darted to the side of the small clearing. The animal easily jumped over to block her path. Ava's arm and hip had gone numb, her shoulder ached, and she was becoming increasingly irritated that this creature seemed to prefer playing with her before it took her down. The creature snapped its beak at Ava, narrowly missing as she darted to the side. It lifted its leg and kicked her down. Ava lay on the ground looking up at the creature as it was about to rip her to shreds when she heard something from the edge of the clearing.

"Hey!"

Ava looked to see where the noise came from. A boy, in dressed in various green and brown pieces of clothing, and tousled auburn hair stood at the edge of the clearing. He had one feature Ava couldn't

Ignore, starting below the knee of his left leg, was a metal prosthetic. His other leg was whole, and wore a furry boot. Ava watched as he walked swiftly over to the creature that still stood over her. He seemed to have no trouble getting around. The animal stared at him, and he stared right back at it. The creature backed up a few steps and flapped its wings, squawking and cackling at him. Then it made a different noise that resembled a burp. The boy walked right up to it, holding out his hands, and whispering soothing words Ava couldn't quite hear. Ava's vision started to swim. She tried hard to focus on the boy, who was now standing inches from the animal, his hand reaching towards it. Black dots danced in front of her eyes. The animal sighed and walked away as if the boy dismissed it. The last thing Ava saw was a metal leg and furry boot walking towards her before she blacked out.

Ava felt very warm. The warmest she had felt since she left Florida. Ava sat up and blinked a few times. She was in a bed, with many layers of soft furs covering her. Ava began to examine the room. She was alone, and the room was empty, except for a table to her left beside the bed. A fire blazed in a fireplace along the wall to her left, giving off plenty of heat to warm the room. A kettle hung near it. The walls and roof were made of wood boards. Ava couldn't see much else since the room was dim, lit only by the fire, which sent light dancing on the walls and floor around it. Ava heard the creak of metal hinges and looked up. She saw the boy from the woods emerge from a door in the corner, on the wall perpendicular to the one with the hearth. He smiled at her and stood near the foot of the bed by the fire. He began speaking in a language that Ava couldn't understand. She had never heard anything like it before. He seemed to notice the confused expression on Ava's face and changed tactics.

"Do you speak English then?" He asked.

Ava was too surprised to speak. She just stared at him.

"I'll take that as a yes." He continued, "My name is Hiccup."

"Ava..." Ava started in a whisper. "My name is Ava. Ava Livingston."

"Nice to meet you, Ava." Hiccup replied. "How did you get here?"

"I uh... Crashed. In the ocean. And I drifted for days before I came to this island." Ava quickly explained.

"You were wearing some pretty strange clothing when I found you. Where are you from?" Hiccup asked.

Ava quickly looked down at her clothes, wide eyed, which were now replaced by a scratchy wool tunic and leggings.

"Where did I get these?" Ava asked in shock. The level of awkward in the current situation was rising to a place Ava did not find comfortable.

"Thorn gave them to you. She's our apprentice healer. She's been taking care of you since I brought you back."

Ava let out a sigh of relief. "Where are my clothes?" Ava asked.

Just as Ava finished her question a girl came through the door carrying a bowl. The girl looked a little younger than Ava. Her brown hair was twisted in long braids that hung down to her waist. She wore clothes similar to the garments Ava currently wore.

"I'm washing them for you. But I'm sure you will be much warmer in what you have on. It's what we wear." The girl said.

"That is Thorn." Hiccup said gesturing the strange girl.

Thorn set the bowl on the floor as she crouched by the fireplace. She carefully took the kettle, and poured a steaming liquid into the bowl. She then picked it up and set it on the table by the bed.

"I'm sure you're hungry. Eat some soup if you feel like it. I have to go mix your medicine, I'll be back later." Thorn said as she turned and left the room.

"What happened to me?" Ava asked a little startled.

"You got stuck with some spikes from the Nadder. They have poison in them. You should be fine once the wounds heal." Hiccup explained.

As Ava turned to pick up the bowl of soup, she felt a searing pain in her hip, going all the way up her left side. Her right shoulder also burned with the stinging sensation. She cringed at the pain. Hiccup kindly walked over and handed the bowl of soup to her.

"Thank you." Ava said, remembering her manners.

She took the wooden spoon Thorn had laid by the bowl before she left and began to eat. It took all of Ava's strength not to shudder at the flavor. The soup was very bland. There was a slight flavor of some type of meat she couldn't make out. Even the chunks of meat and pieces of vegetables had little flavor. Though it was likely much more nutritious, the soup wasn't much better than eating snow. At least it was warm Ava reminded herself.

"I'll let you rest now. I'll come back later and if you're feeling better, I can show you around the village." Hiccup promised.

"I'd like that very much." Ava replied, "Thank you, for all this."

"No problem" Hiccup assured her.

After Ava had finished the soup, Thorn removed the bandages wrapped around her shoulder, and on her side, applying the mixture of medicinal herbs before wrapping her wounds in clean, cloth bandages. True to his word, Hiccup returned later that day. Thorn came in to announce his arrival. Ava was feeling a little better with some real food in her stomach, and decided to go see the village. Thorn brought Ava more clothes to put on before she went out. Ava now had a fur vest, cloth sash to tie her tunic, wool socks, and furry boots. As she passed through, Ava looked around the front room of Thorn's home. To the right of the door to Ava's room, were stairs leading to the next floor. In the middle of the room,

there was a large wooden table and four wooden chairs. Cabinets hung on the walls over a counter in the corner, which was covered with bowls, and various herbs. Stepping out the front door Ava was met with a chilly wind. Ava was grateful for the extra layers of clothing Thorn insisted on. The view was breath taking. Green grass covered the ground, till it dropped off at a cliff. Past the cliff was the ocean, a deep blue color that met the pale blue sky. White wispy clouds hung high in the sky above her.

"Glad you're feeling better." Hiccup said. "Well, this is Berk. We Vikings have lived

here for many generations. It snows nine months of the year, and hails the other three."

"Wow, that doesn't sound very pleasant." Ava commented

"What's it like where you're from?" Hiccup asked. "You didn't tell me earlier."

"Oh!" Ava exclaimed, "I'm from Florida, it's warm and sunny most of the time. In summer it rains almost every day. In winter it gets chilly, not nearly as cold as here though. And it never snows."

"Sounds nice." Hiccup replied as he started pointing out areas of interest.

Ava followed him along a stone path.

Hiccup pointed to a house up a small hill "that's my house there." He said.

As Ava looked up, a roar sounded throughout the village. A large black beast leapt from the roof of the house Hiccup had just pointed to, and charged at them. Wings outstretched, green eyes wide, mouth open. Ava screamed and jumped away. The animal ran right into Hiccup, knocking him over. The beast stood over him looking right at his face. Ava shrieked again which produced chuckles from a few nearby Vikings. Hiccup pushed the creature's snout away, and got up. Ava's puzzled expression got a laugh out of Hiccup too.

"This is Toothless." Hiccup said, "He's a Night Fury, one of the rarest breeds of dragons. And he's my best friend."

Ava's jaw dropped. "Did you just say... Dragon?"

"Yep. That's what is special about Berk. We train dragons."

Ava was speechless. She could only nod her head.

"Go on bud. I'll see you later." Hiccup said to the dragon.

Toothless groaned and sulked away. Disappointed his human couldn't be with him at the moment. Hiccup continued the tour with a stroll by the docks, and then towards the center of the village.

A large man yelled from the forge in the same foreign language Hiccup had first spoken to Ava with. His blond mustache was tied in two knotted braids. He waved a hammer at them as a signal to come over.

"That's Gobber. He's the blacksmith. I've been his apprentice since I was little." Hiccup explained as they made their way over. "Ava only speaks English Gobber." Hiccup explained.

Ava was flattered he spoke in English so she could understand their conversation.

"I've been working overtime to get all these orders finished on time. And on top o' all that, I've got all the weapons to repair. You can't keep runnin' off all the time Hiccup!" Gobber scolded as Hiccup entered the forge. Ava stood at the window. Now that she had gotten closer, she realized the hammer was attached to a metal cap where the man's hand had been taken off. He had a peg leg as well.

"I'll help you catch up later Gobber, I am showing Ava around. She's the girl that I found in the forest yesterday." Hiccup replied coolly. Ava suspected the negotiations were typical.

Gobber turned to Ava his blue eyes twinkling, "Welcome to Berk Ava!" He shouted.

Hiccup exited the forge and began to lead Ava away. They began down the stone road, with various buildings on either side of it. Vikings came and went, going in and out of buildings. All around her the same foreign language was spoken. Before Ava could ask, she heard a female voice yelling what must have been Hiccup's name in their native tongue.

"Hi Astrid." Hiccup began in English.

The girl's thick blond braid swung as she turned to look at Ava.

"Who is that?" She demanded in seeming to catch on Ava didn't speak their language when Hiccup greeted her in English.

"This is Ava Livingston. The girl I found in the forest yesterday." Hiccup explained again. Ava was surprised at his patients. He had repeated the same explanation numerous times and just said it again without any sign of annoyance, which Ava usually would have exhibited by now.

"Oh, her." Astrid scoffed, "You won't be late to training today will you?"

"No, I'll be there." Hiccup assured her.

"See you later then." Astrid said as she strode off into the crowd.

"Alright, just a few more places and that should be it for the village." Hiccup said as he started walking again.


End file.
